Earlier today, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced via a blog post that the social media site has officially reached the 500 million user plateau. If you follow social media news scene with any regularity, this comes as no surprise. But the significance of this achievement shouldn’t be overlooked, especially since this may still just be the beginning for Facebook.

Facebook launched in early 2004, and it took the company nearly four years to reach 100 million users. From that point, Facebook’s growth has been exponential, with the latest 100 million new users added since February. And due to new mobile technology that allows people to access the site easier and more quickly, some are predicting that one billion users by the end of 2011 isn’t out of the question.

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Google has spent years developing and honing their search engine algorithm to bring people the most relevant information on the web. And these efforts have been well rewarded. The name Google is now synonymous with internet-based searches, with the transitive verb “to google” now officially part of the Oxford English Dictionary. Most of us probably think of search engines as pragmatic tools which we use on a daily basis, but the fact of the matter is that search engines are a lucrative business, and Google is dominating the market with almost two-thirds of all internet searches.

In the past week—beginning with an editorial in the New York Times—there has been much debate as to whether or not the government should provide some sort of regulation over search engines. The article in the Times points out that when Google started they were a purely informational resource, providing an objective view of the web’s most relevant sites. Over the years, however, Google’s enterprises have expanded vastly, with maps, shopping, paid advertisements, email and litanies of other auxiliary projects. While business expansion is obviously a good thing, Google now has an incentive to promote their services above their competitors—which is a definite conflict of interest when, ostensibly, you’re managing an objective site.

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It doesn’t matter if it’s been two weeks or several years since your entrepreneurial intuition led you to create an online enterprise; the fact remains that no matter how far your e-commerce skills take you, no small-business owner is prepared to handle the many unfamiliar hurdles that are certain to arise.

However, don’t become overwhelmed by moments of uncertainty and sink-or-swim scenarios that can generate an endless stream of questions in your mind. It’s important to know you’re not alone. And as you dive deeper into your brand development and marketing strategies you’ll find that these puzzlements will cause you to rethink the ways you once searched for answers and information.

Some of the best advice around comes directly from someone who has already overcome the same obstacle. Therefore, you’ll want to visit online resources – there are many – designed to service small-business owners with helpful tools such as Q&A forums and the ability to connect with other entrepreneurs in your industry.

Below you’ll find five valuable sources, thanks to Mashable.com, to get you started.

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Apples’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference has traditionally served as a platform to showcase the latest innovations the company has developed, and this year was no different. Steve Jobs, Apple’s Chief Executive, provided the main attraction via his keynote speech, which featured the new iPhone 4 that will be going on sale later this month. As one of Apple’s marquee products, the media, software developers and consumers have anxiously been awaiting an opportunity to see the latest edition of the iPhone in action.

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The advent of social media and the internet have created a categorical shift in the way people receive, interpret and react to news stories. Traditional media sources are constantly having to change and adapt to remain profitable and relevant in this user-centric atmosphere, where blogs and Twitter are seen as reliable sources of information. As soon as a story breaks, there are hundreds of bloggers and other news sources vying to create their own angle and disseminate the information themselves. And while many of us would assume that the blogosphere is plagiarizing and repackaging stories from conventional reporters, many claim that the roles in this relationship are often reversed.

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During the 2000s, Google effectively established itself as an innovator in the tech world, and the company is taking measures to ensure it maintains its status as an innovator in the industry. The company recently announced a new App Store, which will be opening later in the year, and now Google is branching off into a new media: TV.

At the company’s annual developer conference last week, Google executives unveiled Google TV. It’s no secret that people are eschewing commercials and traditional TV viewing in lieu of DVR recordings and online streaming video. In an attempt to capitalize on this trend, Google TV offer consumers a tool for organizing and watching all of their favorite shows in one location.

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Last week we reported on the public outcry following changes to Facebook’s privacy policy, and as they have been in the past, Facebook was quick to address the issue. After Congress sent a letter to the company in response to numerous complaints, Facebook executives met last week to begin discussing the issue. Following a report from the Wall Street Journal, which expounded loopholes in the company’s privacy policy, Facebook announced it would be making changes to the privacy policy and settings in the near future. In addition, in today’s op-ed section of the Washington Post, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg answered many questions concerning the site’s privacy policies and settings.

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The 30,000 staff members at the University of California Davis are no longer using Gmail as their e-mail provider. The university had been testing Google’s e-mail service since August 2009, in hopes to eventually roll it out to the entire campus population. However, university officials say that the e-mail service isn’t secure or private enough to meet their standards.

Quite a few staff members had privacy concerns, many of which stemmed from Google Buzz, the social network embedded within Gmail. In a letter from the university to Google, school officials wrote that the staff members “expressed concerns that our campus’ commitment to protecting the privacy of their communications is not demonstrated by Google and that the appropriate safeguards are neither in place at this time nor planned for in the near future.” (more…)

In April, YouTube released a movie rental service that would allow users to watch a small selection of movies directly from the site. In a recent interview with Media Post, Hunter Walk, director of project management, said the site will allow users to charge a rental fee for their online videos. 

The details of the new rental program are still scarce, but will likely allow any user to sign up with the program, regardless of how many views they’ve had on YouTube. Users who rent the films will likely have access to the video for a 24-hour period and will be charged anywhere from $1-$6. (more…)

Twitter has launched it’s advertising platform, which many have been anticipating for months.  Obviously, Twitter has to make money some how and today is the day that ad’s are introduced to the site.  And like Biz Stone said back in November, “It’s going to be amazing.” The best part seems to be that the ad platform seems to be well liked in the first hour of it’s debut.

Unlike most ad’s which can take up plenty of room, ad’s on Twitter come in a small box underneath a tweet, saying “Promoted by…” which will come up in search results.  In all honesty, it doesn’t take up to much room and doesn’t make the site look awful, however it’s still noticeable, which is good news for businesses that are going to want to jump on board. (more…)